Will The Plan to Measure Podcasting Work?

Rob Greenlee is the head of content for Podcasting platform company Spreaker. He’s been podcasting now since 2004 and actually focuses one of his weekly shows on how to be a better podcaster. We asked Greenlee his thoughts on the public radio plan to get all podcasters into one pool and abide by new measurement guidelines. Here’s what he had to say.

RI: What do you think about this plan to measure Podcasting?Rob: I believe the goal on the Public Radio/Media side is to push forward faster with a standard specification on how to count podcast episode downloads and progressive stream download playback. These new guidelines are only helpful from the perspective that public radio/media now has a standard methodology to count podcast audiences, but could benefit from adding broader and more complete standards being developed by the IAB.

The public radio guidelines does potentially contribute to the urgent need for the whole industry to agree on recommended algorithm filtering of downloads. That is being worked on in a larger more inclusive podcast working group with the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau).

This IAB Podcast Working Group has been meeting with all players in the industry including public radio for over a year now. The IAB is getting close to a true industry wide podcast download metrics standard. We don’t need two or more standards specification that exist today coming from a variety of larger players in podcasting.

– Do you think Podcasts can ever accurately be measured in a way simple for advertisers to understand?Rob: Yes. I believe that most of the key long existing podcasting distribution platforms today are offering accurate download metric numbers. The metrics issue is being overblown by many newer podcast distribution platform players in the space. Podcasting metrics abilities at the largest podcast hosting platforms are currently accepted by most advertising agencies and podcasters.

The issues are mostly coming from those that want to own or control the actual download metrics standard and how it could benefit them in the market.